


stay young.

by caixe



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boys In Love, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, lapslock, mentioned doyoung and johnny, norenmin as markhyuck's bffs and taeyong as hyuck's dad!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28998960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caixe/pseuds/caixe
Summary: "i just wanted to tell you that we’re having a baby. you know, as you're the rightful father of the child and all.""hyuck, what? a baby?" mark sputters. "what do you mean we’re having a baby? how would we even have a baby?""what, did you not have sex ed or what? through pregnancy, of course."or, five entirely pointless and self indulgent moments in the life of high school boyfies mh.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 152





	stay young.

**Author's Note:**

> !!slight tw!!  
> mentions of blood from ["but it is!" donghyuck whines] to [sometimes mark thinks his parents love his boyfriend more than him]. it's not described in graphic detail, only the word is mentioned like three times actually, but please be cautious if that bothers you.
> 
> also, i'm british so i do use british spelling and some british variants of words, but hopefully it's still easy enough to understand. yes that includes me saying football instead of soccer,,
> 
> for the sake of this story, they're both eighteen and in their last year of school before university.

[stay young](https://open.spotify.com/track/7wjprvfscpUNacftNovfQO?si=7VDLFo-fRMKrN2sALReVKw).

一。

"shit… mark, that hurts!"

mark only chuckles in response. he continues dabbing the wet cloth against his boyfriend’s knee. donghyuck tries his best not to squirm around on the counter he’s perched atop, but he remains unsuccessful.

"it’s just a cut, hyuck. i’ve seen the kind of bruises you get after your games, don’t you dare tell me that this is that much worse."

"but it is!" donghyuck whines, then buries his face in his hands. a groan leaves his throat as the other boy wipes the blood away from a particularly sensitive area. it stings _so_ bad. "remind me why i agreed to this again?"

mark moves his hand down from his calf to hold his ankle tightly, and he carefully inspects the battle wound. when he finds that it’s clean —void of any of the blood and dirt that it was painted with ten minutes beforehand— he tosses the filthy cloth into the sink and runs the tap. his mother won’t forgive him for using the white cloth which she usually uses for cooking to get rid of blood for sure. unless, of course, he tells her that it was for donghyuck. she'll be fine then. sometimes mark thinks his parents love his boyfriend more than him. 

with a sigh, he gets up from the floor, his legs aching from crouching for so long.

"you said, and i quote, ‘skateboarding isn’t even that difficult. i bet i could learn how to do it in ten minutes.’" mark says flatly. donghyuck crosses his arms in front of his chest and furrows his eyebrows.

"my point still stands, you’re just a bad teacher. maybe i should’ve asked jeno to help me, then we wouldn’t be here right now."

instead of replying, mark snatches the box of plasters from the boy’s lap. he lowers back down onto the cold kitchen tiles and pulls one out of the packet, then secures it over the cut. before standing back up, he plants a kiss underneath the bright yellow plaster that now decorates his boyfriend’s injured knee.

donghyuck glares at him as he straightens up, but the smile he’s been trying to fight back ever since he was seated on top of the counter breaks out on his face. he slides forward and wraps his legs around mark’s waist, and his arms around his torso.

"thank you." he whispers and rests his chin on top of his shoulder.

"no problem." mark murmurs against his temple. "maybe i can try to teach you again some other day."

"sounds good."

silence. the clock on the wall ticks excitedly in the background. mark twirls a strand of donghyuck’s hair around his index finger before letting it drop back down. his other hand rubs circles into his hip bone.

"are you staying the over tonight?" mark breaks the quiet first. donghyuck pulls back from the embrace to look into his boyfriend’s dark eyes.

"do you want me to?" he asks.

mark only nods in response.

"sure, then. i left my bag at home though. we might have to go and fetch it so i’ll have all my stuff for school tomorrow. and i need to tell my dad that i’m staying the night anyway. even though he loves and trusts you, and i’ve slept over —hell, even he slept over!— so many times before, he still gets overprotective when it comes to me."

with that, he slips down from the counter completely and lands gracefully on his feet. donghyuck reaches for mark’s hand and intertwines their fingers.

"let’s go then." mark hums.

donghyuck kisses his cheek before dragging him out the front door. "but we’re taking my bike! there’s no way i’m getting on that skateboard with you. no way in hell."

he promptly ignores mark’s complaints.

二。

mark’s nails dig into donghyuck’s shoulders as they smoothly sail down the pavement. with every rock and twig that donghyuck runs over, the pegs attached to the back wheel of the bicycle dig into the soles of mark’s feet more and more. cold wind ruffles their hair and caresses their faces, whispering promises about the arrival of autumn.

the straps of his boyfriend’s gym bag claw into mark’s elbow as they ride on but he doesn’t care; he just closes his eyes and allows himself to enjoy the slow tune donghyuck hums under his breath as he pedals down another road. people who recognise them sometimes wave at them eagerly as they go, prompting an equally cheery greeting from the two boys.

and there’s the rare occurrence when the streets are empty and there are no possible hazards in front of them, so donghyuck can turn around to look at mark for a second. the two boys always beam at each other without fail. though, these moments end as soon as they arrive, and donghyuck goes back to paying full attention to the road while mark lets himself get lost in the sounds of the village around them bustling with life.

he _loves_ it like this.

the bicycle comes to a halt in front of the bike sheds before their school’s gates. while donghyuck rolls it inside and chains it up, mark is busy fixing his tie and smoothing the wrinkles on his crumpled blazer.

"come here."

mark looks up at his boyfriend who stands by the entrance of the sheds. he beckons him closer with his hand when he sees that he’s not moving. mark takes a step, then another, then one more, and then he’s standing right in front of him. donghyuck reaches up to comb his fingers through his dark locks with a sheepish smile stretching across his face.

"you look like you haven’t brushed your hair in a week." he laughs. the ‘ _but you still look pretty hot_ ’ doesn’t slip out. mark wouldn’t let him live that one down.

"you’re not doing too much better yourself, hyuck." he retorts, and rolls his eyes fondly. he does it oh so fondly.

mark also starts to drag his fingers through donghyuck’s unruly mop of brown hair. his hands then slide down to fix his shirt and tie too. they keep going like that for around a minute until they both look at least somewhat presentable for their classes, and the loud screech of another bicycle’s brakes shatters their moment.

"mornin’."

mark turns his head to smile at jeno as he gets off his bike. donghyuck waves at him.

"hey, jeno. i thought renjun would be with you today? he said he was going over to your place after practice yesterday." donghyuck comments. his hand finds mark’s.

"oh, he did come over yesterday! his aunt wanted him to go back home though, said something about an upcoming history assessment or something."

"and jaemin?" mark questions this time, just as jeno rolls his bike into the shed.

"jaemin wasn’t feeling too good yesterday, so he went home before practice even started." donghyuck says and mark shrugs.

jeno emerges from the bike shed with his bag slung over one of his shoulders messily. he clasps his hands together. "anyway, i’ll be going inside then. me and renjun have maths together first, and i want to find him before there’s too many people lurking in the corridors. he promised to let me copy some of his answers before class starts and i haven’t done like… half of the assigned work. so bye guys, see you at lunch!"

they exchange quick goodbyes, and then jeno is gone. mark shrugs donghyuck’s gym bag off his arm and hands it over him.

"are we going home together? i could drop you off."

mark hums. "are you indirectly asking me to come and watch you play football? i know you try extra hard when i’m there."

"i’m going to ban you from our practices if you ever accuse me of something like that again." donghyuck scoffs. "you're free to go home alone or wait far away from the pitch."

"no, it's fine. i guess i’ll come and watch the school’s star football player kick a ball around for a bit." mark laughs and claps his boyfriend on the back. donghyuck shoves at his chest and transports his gym bag from the concrete to his shoulder with a grunt.

they hook their pinkies around each other’s as they trudge to the entrance of the school. like they always do. it’s become routine, and neither one of them would dare complain about something so pure.

"enjoy biology then, babe." donghyuck says once they finally reach the grand foyer. some students rush past them as the bell rings. although it doesn’t bother them all that much. donghyuck just cups mark’s cheeks with his hands and quickly presses their lips together.

"i’ll see you at lunch then."

and they both walk towards their respective classrooms.

三。

"see? you’re getting the hang of it now!" mark exclaims. he claps his hands as donghyuck skates down the road in front of him. jeno follows suit on his own skateboard just a couple of seconds later. next to mark, renjun and jaemin also cheer obnoxiously, all while playfully pushing at each other’s shoulders.

donghyuck hops off his (read: mark’s) skateboard when he reaches the end of the road, picks it up, and then jogs over to where his boyfriend is lounging on the soft grass. he throws himself down next to him, and mark lovingly pats his head.

"did i do well?" donghyuck asks, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to suppress a proud smile. mark finds it absolutely adorable.

"you’re improving. at least you didn’t fall off the skateboard this time."

donghyuck slaps his shoulder and shoots him a warning look in response, then turns over to lay on his back. he folds his arms underneath his head. "that _really_ hurt, you know. i wasn’t kidding." he huffs.

"mark! if hyuck’s not going to use your skateboard, can we?" renjun interrupts. mark nods and frees his skateboard from underneath donghyuck’s feet then hands it over to jaemin, who’s already getting up. the two boys thank him curtly, and then they’re off walking towards jeno.

donghyuck peers up at mark through his long, dark lashes. his face is perfectly illuminated by the vivid sunrays.

"what is it?" mark asks, tilting his head. he unfolds his legs and lays down beside his boyfriend.

"‘s nothing, really." is donghyuck’s reply. "i’m just really thankful for you, i guess. i don’t say it often enough, but it’s how i feel."

mark laughs. that really isn't what he was expecting at all. he tears his gaze away from donghyuck’s face and looks up at the bright morning sky. "i know, hyuck. you prove it to me often enough, and that’s what really matters."

"i know. but i love you and i want to tell you just that so shut up and enjoy it while it lasts." donghyuck yawns. he snakes his arm around mark’s middle once he comfortably turns onto his side and shimmies closer to his body, craving its warmth.

yells and laughs briefly erupt from the three boys in the distance, yet somehow it’s still all too peaceful like this. 

"i love you too, hyuck."

四。

"oh, mark! come on in, son." the man greets him as soon as the front door is thrown open.

"hi, taeyong." mark chirps with a smile, and steps inside the room. he kicks off his shoes and tucks them away into the spot designated for him on the shoe rack.

"donghyuck isn’t home from practice quite yet. i’m pretty sure coach suh kept them back for a little while after their session was supposed to end." taeyong says, beaming at the younger boy.

mark stands his skateboard up against the wall. "that’s alright, he called me to tell me that he’ll be late but i was already on my way over so i thought i’d just come anyway."

"you know you’re always welcome here. how about you go and wait in his room? i’ll tell him you’re already here once he arrives. are you hungry?"

"no, thank you though." mark answers while he shakes his head. "mum already forced some food down my throat before i came here. she told me to bring some for you and hyuck too, but i know you two have that weird cooking thing going on so i didn’t want to get right in the middle of that or something."

"of course." taeyong clicks his tongue. "well, just in case you want to compare—"

"i’m _not_ going to be a referee for some cooking competition between my own mother and my boyfriend’s dad!" mark whines. "i mentioned that i liked the pastries you made _one_ time over a year ago and she _still_ accuses me of spying on her and relaying information to you to this day because apparently i’m biased!"

in response, taeyong just laughs. mark chooses to ignore him and instead walks through the spacious home that he memorised over the years. he stops by the white door right at the end of the bland hall. when its door is pushed open, a familiar bedroom is revealed. one that reeks of safety and comfort to him.

as he makes his way inside, mark steps over the used shirts and discarded basketball shorts on the floor. he’s long used to his boyfriend’s untidiness. the second his body touches the bed, a strange wave of exhaustion washes over him.

he has always preferred donghyuck’s bed to his own. it’s not that it’s more comfortable or something, because it’s quite the opposite, actually. but every time he sleeps in this bed, he’s guaranteed to have an armful of the sunshine boy. his own bed cannot always grant that, and he must accept a night of loneliness instead. therefore, there’s a clear winner in his eyes.

fifteen minutes pass like that, with mark burying his face into the fluffy white pillow which still smells faintly like donghyuck’s orange scented shampoo, before the door slowly creeps open at last, and the boy he’s been waiting for all this time walks inside.

mark removes his head from the pillows to look up at his boyfriend, who’s still standing by the door. donghyuck’s hair is damp from the shower he took earlier, but he has already changed out of the kit that he always wears to practice. he locks eyes with mark across the bedroom and shoots him a tired smile which the other gladly reciprocates. without a word, donghyuck begins to unzip his gym bag and tosses the clothes dirtied with sweat into the laundry basket in the corner of the room. most of them make it inside.

talking isn’t necessary, they simply bask in each other’s presence. just seeing each other, doing their own things in the same place: it’s all enough to soothe them both. it reminds them that after all this time, they’re still together. that while not everything is alright in the world, everything is perfect between the two of them.

the things on the floor are also flung into the basket by the time mark finally stops spacing out.

after five minutes of blissful silence, the mattress finally dips under donghyuck’s weight. in similar fashion to mark, he lays on his stomach. but it still isn’t close enough for him so he shuffles even closer, until the backs of their arms brush against each other’s.

"hi." he says, bumping his nose against mark’s.

"hi. how was your day?"

donghyuck groans at that, shutting his eyes tightly. "tiresome as fuck. johnny was really pissy today for some reason. he was glowering at us during practice like we spat in his coffee or something... he almost made jisung cry! but that’s not even everything. it all just went downhill after i saw you in music. like seriously, don’t even get me started on geography with miss bae—"

mark smiles unconsciously. whether good or bad, he always loves hearing donghyuck’s retelling of his day. somehow he always manages to make it sound like the most interesting or most tragic day in the history of the entire world.

whenever he’s upset he gets all pouty and mark feels compelled to make him feel better, so he holds him tight and rocks him back and forth in his lap until his usual shine is back. and when he’s excited, he laughs and celebrates along with him, tells him how proud he is and how much he loves him. it’s the favourite part of _his_ day.

"—are you even listening to me, mark?" donghyuck questions, his eyes now wide open. he’s staring at mark in confusion, with a hint of his frustration still lingering behind.

"‘course. tell me more about how miss bae unjustly scolded you for missing an assignment that you handed in last week. to her. personally."

and though he definitely noticed the papers on erosion on top donghyuck’s desk when he waltzed into his room earlier, he decides not to mention it just yet.

*

"you know, i’ve been thinking about your idea for a while." donghyuck blurts out.

mark pulls his attention away from the cheesy romance movie playing on donghyuck’s laptop, and looks down at his boyfriend whose head lays on top of his chest. he finds donghyuck already looking up at him, traces of a gentle smile carved onto his flushed face. he looks so tired… he looks too soft like this. mark’s arm tightens around his frame instinctively.

"you have?"

"yeah. i have." donghyuck says. he blinks up at him slowly, trying to stop his eyes from closing without permission.

"so? what do you think?"

"i want to, i really do." he murmurs. "i know you’ve been all ‘we don’t have to if you don’t want to’ and ‘it’s okay if you think it’s too early for this’ ever since you asked me but i already made up my mind."

"you really think it’s a good idea?" mark asks, his eyes hopeful. he cards his fingers through donghyuck’s hair slowly, and the boy leans into his touch like some kind of overgrown kitten. it’s a surprise that he doesn’t start purring and licking at his hand right then and there.

"yeah. we’ve been together for a while, and i really think this is the next step for us. i mean, is there a better time to do this, really? it’s perfect, in my very professional personal opinion." he mumbles. this time, he lets his eyes fall shut without trying to fight back.

mark nods slowly, planting a kiss into donghyuck’s hairline. "and taeyong?"

"i haven’t asked dad yet. i have a feeling he’s going to be somewhat relieved though. the uni’s like an hour and a half away from here, and i really don’t feel like riding a bus back and forth between this town and the next every single day. i was already thinking about moving out, and i think that he’ll feel a lot better about me living so far away from home if i have you living with me." donghyuck explains, and mark can’t help but feel like everything will be just fine.

"that’s… wow." he says instead. "i’m confident about this."

"me too, mark." and he squeezes his hand to wash away all of their leftover uncertainties for now. they will _definitely_ be fine as long as they stick together.

五。

a random r&b song booms through the speakers of mark’s phone softly, filling the otherwise quiet rooftop with noise. several plastic tubs with multicoloured lids lay scattered on the grounds beneath the bench they’ve claimed upon their arrival.

donghyuck’s fingertips dance along mark’s scalp soothingly, the motion almost lulling the boy with his head resting on his lap to sleep. 

"you know," donghyuck looks away from the starry night sky to glance down at his boyfriend. "i really fucking love your mum’s cooking. i would die for it, honestly. you and your dad are so lucky."

mark laughs at that and snuggles deeper into the baby blue blanket that they stole from his room just a couple of minutes prior to their spontaneous stargazing date. "just please don’t tell her that, she’ll never shut up about it. and besides, you spend as much time here as you do at your place. you basically _live_ here."

the boy just muffles a chuckle using the sleeve of his sweater, until all of a sudden the movement of his fingers stops and his laughter dies down.

mark peers up at him, his eyes wide in a silent question. donghyuck opens his mouth to say something, then closes it promptly. he stays quiet.

engines roar in the distance as cars race down the roads. the two boys pay no attention to the background noise, nor the slow ballad that now plays in their personal little bubble. their eyes remain solely on each other, both of them deep in thought as they search the other’s face for something; _anything_.

then donghyuck finally speaks up.

"i just wanted to tell you that we’re having a baby. you know, as you're the rightful father of the child and all. before i forget to do it. again."

"hyuck, what? a _baby_?" mark sputters, mouth agape. "what do you mean we’re having a baby? _how_ would we even have a baby?"

"what, did you not have sex ed or what? through pregnancy, of course." donghyuck deadpans, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. in reality, it only confuses his poor boyfriend even more.

"hyuck, neither one of us has a womb. we’re both men." mark says.

"yes, i’m aware."

mark’s hands come up to rub at his temples in frustration. "so, about the baby…"

donghyuck lets out a hearty laugh at that, clearly enjoying his boyfriend’s suffering. but the laugh is so sweet and melodic that it makes mark’s heart hammer against his ribs at an incredible speed. and frankly, he’s so in love. but sadly his weird, lovesick trance is broken when the other carefully untangles his fingers from his hair and drums them against his shoulder instead.

"you remember my uncle, doyoung, right?" donghyuck asks as mark sits up. he drags his blanket further up the bench so it covers both of their bodies.

"yeah. he joined us for dinner that one time." he responds. donghyuck offers him a small smile before plastering himself against his side, and mark gladly places his chin on top of his head in retaliation.

"correct. and you know how his dog ran away not too long ago?"

mark pulls back a little and squints down at him. "where are you going with this?"

donghyuck looks up, his face glowing brightly under the pale moonlight. his eyes sparkle with so much mirth that mark would happily be confused for the rest of his life if it meant that he could just get lost in them for a little while.

donghyuck breaks eye contact first and smiles up at the stars instead. "well, they found her recently. and guess what?"

"what?"

"she’s now pregnant! isn’t that amazing?" he squeals.

mark just frowns at him for a couple of moments before it all starts making sense. he sighs. "let me guess. you want to adopt one of the puppies?"

the other boy nods.

"and knowing you, you already told doyoung that we’d take one of them, yeah?"

another nod.

"well that changes some things."

"what do you mean?" donghyuck asks, his fingers clamping down on the blanket firmly. his lips tremble with something akin to fear or disappointment. the stars in his eyes fade slightly.

because what if he rushed into this? what if mark changes his mind about living with him? what if mark changes his mind about _him_ entirely? about their relationship? what if—

"well, first of all, we’ll have to choose a place that allows pets if we move in together, yeah? and we’ll also have to spend extra on food and toys and other stuff like bowls and beds and vaccinations. so we have to keep those in mind for sure. plus, we’ll need to take the dog out for walks and take a lot of time out of our day to care for it while also keeping up with our work."

"oh." donghyuck whispers. he lets the shaky breath that he didn’t realise he was holding in escape. "well, yeah i guess. then it does change some things. would that be a problem? i mean, i could just talk to doyoung—"

"i didn't say no."

donghyuck’s eyes widen in surprise. "so you’re saying yes?"

"possibly." mark smiles. donghyuck knows what that means very well. he’s given in.

there’s a moment of silence followed by an inhuman screech before mark is tackled onto the wooden bench.

"thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank_ you!" donghyuck exclaims, pressing sweet pecks against his boyfriends cheeks and nose and forehead.

"you’ve been telling me how much you want a puppy since the day we met, basically. how could i deny you this opportunity now that you finally have it?" mark laughs, while simultaneously trying to shove his boyfriend off him. the blanket has long fallen to the ground, landing over the several empty tubs that they had eaten from earlier on.

"how did i even manage to land someone as perfect as you?" donghyuck sighs dreamily once he finally decides to give mark a break from his onslaught of affection. the slight pause won't last long and they both know it.

mark wraps his arms around donghyuck’s neck before he pulls him down against his chest. "i already agreed, you don’t have to keep sucking up to me."

"but you're so…" he trails off, a pout forming on his face. this time, mark willingly connects their lips.

it’s safe to say that both of them are looking forward to their future together. just like this.

"so what do you want to name our baby?"

**Author's Note:**

> hi bugs!!
> 
> i've been meaning to get more serious about writing again but every single time i tried writing something i got really self conscious so i just kept putting it off for months. :( so after like 50 failed long fic attempts, i decided to just do something short and sweet, and hence this was born! it's not very good or entertaining for that matter because i'm rusty as hell but i hope you like it at least a bit.
> 
> also, i'm sorry for making hyuck sound like,,, that, i guess. he's very ooc. so is mark now that i think about it, but hey. 
> 
> hopefully having this out here will put some pressure on me to actually finish the things i start writing instead of abandoning them 10k words in. :// i have way too many of those in my drafts and just seeing them makes me sad aaaa. i keep getting sidetracked and adding more and more things to them instead of finishing the actual works.
> 
> anyway! constructive criticism is welcome. tell me how i could improve!! fluff isn't really my forte but this has been occupying too much space in my brain for me to just leave it unfinished too. i also know nothing about football, so yeah. whoops.
> 
> i definitely over edited this and i think it made it so much worse, wow.
> 
> i do speak english fluently but it's still only my second language, so if you notice any mistakes feel free to let me know! 
> 
> thank you for reading!!
> 
> love, cai. ♡
> 
> 29/01 - fixed a couple of mistakes. 🧚♀️


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